Page 125 of No Way Home
His smile grew mischievous, reminding me of when we were younger and we accepted Granny’s offer of chocolate chip cookies or pie, even though Mom had told us we better not come home stuffed with sugar. “If my wife is getting arrested, I’m going to be in that cell with her.” The smile grew into a smirk. “You gonna protect your woman or not?”
He may as well have called me a chicken.
I glanced in at James, and the choice was easy. I joined the group and put my hand in the middle. “Let’s do this, I guess.” Then I looked the love of my life right in her beautiful green eyes. “On the count of three, wah-hoo-wah.”
Griffin snorted. “Nah, no way. Go Hokies.”
Sophie rolled her eyes. “Nobody cares what your war cry is. Just pick something.”
Grinning proudly at me, Magnolia laid her hand over mine. Followed by Sophie, Juliette, and Griffin.
Another hand slapped on top, and we looked over to see Sage’s dad, Scott. “They can’t arrest us all.”
I began the bounce, but then another hand dropped on top, this one petite and trembling. Heidi, who was meek,quiet, and had probably never driven a mile over the speed limit, smiled. “Hurry, before I lose my nerve.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I started the bounce again. “Three, two, one. Wah-hoo-wah!” we whisper-yelled.
Except for Griff, who indeed rumbled a low, “GoooOOOO Hokies!”
Sophie turned, pushing through the door as a nurse threatened, “I’ll call security!”
“Don’t test me, Karen!” Juliette yelled back, solidifying her spot in my top ten of very favorite people.
Mom and Dad looked up as we came into the room. “You can’t all be in here,” Dad said, ever the rule keeper.
Griff locked the door behind Heidi. “You'd better hurry, Soph.”
Mom pressed her fingers to her lips as Sophie carefully laid Willow on James’s chest. She kept a hand on her back so she wouldn’t roll off. Willow squirmed, her little bum poking out as she stretched, sucking on her pacifier.
“James,” Sophie said loudly, like she was talking to an old person losing their hearing. “Do you feel that bundle of cuteness against your chest?” She paused in case he wanted to answer. “That’s your daughter. Willow’s been patiently waiting to meet you.” We all watched the heart monitor, his hands, his eyelids. I didn’t know about anyone else, but I was holding my breath. Partly for James and partly for the security guy headed this way.
Sophie’s eyes flashed to the glass, seeing him too. “Okay, I didn’t want to do this, but you leave me no choice. James, if you don’t wake up, we’ll have to raise Willow. Which means I’m teaching her to eat ice cream for breakfast. And I’ll tell her boys are wonderful—especially the ones with motorcycles and terrible tattoos. And every time she misbehaves, I’m going to assure her, ‘This isexactlywhat your dad would’ve wanted.’”
The security guard banged on the door. “I need you to come out of there!”
“No!” Juliette hollered. “We’re not doing that! Try harassing another room full of people trying to wake their loved one from the literal edge of death, though.”
Mom laughed, tears streaming down her face. “Oh, Peyton is going to love you.”
The security guard pounded again, so forcefully that Heidi let out a little shriek.
It scared Willow, too, and with lungs the size of thimbles, she somehow produced a cry that could’ve registered on the Richter scale. Ridiculous, earthshaking, and loud enough to wake the dead.
Literally.
Because just as the door flew open and the security guard crashed the party, the most wonderful sound—scratchy, rough, and confused—lit up the room. “What the…”
Our heads shot around to see James, eyes wide open, clawing at the cannula jammed up his nostrils.
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter
Bowen
“Un-freaking-believable,”I muttered as Mom, Dad, Uncle Holden, and I strode across the Seddledowne Family Medicine parking lot. “Like how awful do you have to be to fail Magnolia—of all people—the day after we bury Sage?”
Dad looked battle-worn. We all were. But he still had enough fire to clench his jaw, ready for the fight that was coming. “For some reason, funerals seem to empower Billy and make him want to cause people even more pain. I swear, the man has a death wish,” he ground out.
